The Voice from the Past
by a girl who likes hockey
Summary: Rey auditions for a popular TV show, and is reunited with her ex-boyfriend, Ben, who the world knows as Kylo Ren. Both will need to make peace with the past when Rey reveals a huge secret. Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Rey Plutt paced nervously backstage. It was surreal that she was actually auditioning for America's most watched singing competition. If a special someone hadn't begged her to do so, Rey would never have sent her tape in. But she could barely manage to see Padme cry without crying herself.

"Good luck, Mommy!" Padme cried out, as the four year old stood next to the host of the show.

"You behave for Mr. Carson," Rey instructed.

"She'll be fine," Carson replied, giving Padme a wink.

Rey took a deep breath before walking through the main doors and heading to the stage. It seemed silly, but she hoped Ben would be watching. He had become a superstar known as "Kylo Ren" to the public. But to Rey, he would always be Ben Solo, the boy she loved in high school, and the father to her daughter.

"Ready to go down, Kylo?" Coach Blake teased the tall man with dark hair and dark eyes.

"Stop!" Coach Gwen scolded her beau. To Kylo, she said,

"Pay no attention to him. He's just mad he hasn't won in a few seasons."

Kylo could only nod his head. He wasn't even supposed to be a coach. But Coach Kelly had to drop out at the last minute due to a family emergency. He felt like a fish out of water, just like in high school. He had one friend back then, and she was more than just a friend...

"You'll be fine," Coach John assured him, as Kylo sat in his chair. "Just be prepared to be blocked!"

"Thanks," Kylo muttered. He had a strategy in his mind. He was going to be quick in picking his artists, so that he would not be blocked.

The lights were lowered and the coaches heard the first contestant step onto the stage. Kylo's hand was hovering over his button.

"Should I block him now or later?" Blake whispered to Gwen.

"Stop!" she stated, before the music started to play.

Rey had thought a lot about the song she wanted to audition with. She decided to sing "Let It Go" by Passenger. It was a special song to her and Ben. She had sang it at his grandmother's funeral.

"I can't look!" she panicked to herself. She decided that she would have to audition with her eyes closed.

She starting singing. Although her eyes were closed, she heard the crowd cheer. A chair had turned for her! Rey did her best to remain calm as she continued to sing.

"Yay, Mommy!" Padme shouted, jumping up and down.

"Congratulations!" Carson told her, giving the girl a high five.

"Gwen, Kylo is crying!" John mouthed silently.

"Why?" she wondered. She went to tell Blake, but her boyfriend had already hit his button. The country star glanced over at Kylo and muttered to himself,

"Damn! I should have blocked him!"

"There's such heartbreak in her voice," John mused. He glanced over at Gwen. She smiled, and they hit their buttons simultaneously before Rey finished the song.

The audience clapped loudly. Rey was thankful. She opened up her eyes and saw all four chairs turned for her.

"Ben?" she gasped to herself, as she saw him staring at her. She got scared and ran off the stage.

"Come back!" he cried out to her. Rey quickly gave the microphone back to a stagehand and rushed to where Carson and Padme were.

"We're leaving now!" she shouted, taking her daughter's hand.

"I don't want to go!" the girl whined, confused as to why her mother was acting this way.

"I can't stay!"

"Rey, what's wrong?" Carson asked. He never saw a contestant walk off the stage like that.

"I need to go!" she tearfully pleaded.

"Please don't go," Ben urged her.

They turned to see Kylo approach them. He locked eyes with Rey as the producers joined them.

"What is going on?" Mark, the executive producer, questioned them.

"I have to disqualify myself from the competition," Rey confessed.

"What does disqualify mean?" Padme innocently asked.

"Why?" Mark wondered.

"Because we know each other," Kylo interjected.

"Well, almost everyone in America knows you..."

"We know each other personally. It wouldn't be right for me to compete," Rey clarified.

"I see. I am sorry. The other coach had to drop out last minute... We can have you compete in another season."

Rey was not paying attention. Her eyes were focused on Ben. She had dreamed of seeing him again, but not like this!

"Does this mean you're not going to be on the show?" Padme uttered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Yes," Rey answered honestly. It broke her heart to see her little girl sobbing.

"Mark, can they stay in my dressing room, until taping is done for the day?" Kylo asked.

"We couldn't..."

"Of course," Mark insisted. "It is our fault this happened. We should have spoken to the contestants this morning to see if they knew Kylo personally."

Turning his attention to Rey, he wistfully stated,

"My apologies. The last thing I wanted was to make either of you upset."

"We will be okay," Rey assured him, as she comforted her daughter. Padme noticed Kylo looking at her. She broke from her mother's embrace and approached him. The girl had curly black hair and big hazel eyes.

"Thank you for choosing my mommy first," she sweetly told Kylo.

"You're... Wait! You're her mother?" Kylo exclaimed, now focusing his attention on Rey.

"I am. We need to talk," she stammered nervously.

"We will talk, after taping is over." He glanced at Padme and instructed her,

"Please make sure your mom doesn't leave."

"Ok, Mr. Kylo," Padme replied, staring up at the tall man.

"Follow me," an assistant said to Rey. She and Padme were led to Kylo's dressing room.

"Candy!" Padme shrieked happily, as she ran to the table and popped a couple of M & M's in her mouth.

"Do not eat the entire bowl!" Rey warned her, before finding a seat on a nearby couch.

"What happened?" Gwen asked Kylo, after he had come from backstage.

"My ex-girlfriend auditioned and ran off the stage when she saw me," Kylo admitted.

"She's your ex-girlfriend? And you let her go?" Blake stated in a deadpan voice.

"Blake, this is not funny!" Gwen chided him.

"Neither is that joke," John quipped.

"She left me. It's too personal to talk about," Kylo explained.

"Sounds like you and her have some unfinished business," Gwen offered.

"Who did she come with?" John asked curiously.

"Her daughter," Kylo sighed wistfully. Rey was a parent, while he had been denied the opportunity...

His thoughts were interrupted when Mark walked over to the coaches.

"We spoke to the rest of the singers. None of them know Kylo personally. We will edit Rey Plutt's audition out, and continue on," he told them.

As the coaches sat in their chairs, John leaned over to Kylo and told him,

"She would have picked you."

"Only because I'm her ex," Kylo muttered.

"No. Her music style is closest to yours. Besides, do you really think she would pick Blake?"

"I heard that!" Blake grumbled, pretending to be offended by John's comment.

"Shush, all of you!" Gwen scolded the men, before the lights were lowered.


	2. Chapter 2

"Look Mommy! A big mirror!" Padme exclaimed, when she realized her mother was not going to allow her to have any more candy.

"I see. Let's check it out," Rey offered. They walked over to the mirror and a tall chair was in front of it.

"I want to see myself in the mirror."

Rey picked her up and sat her in the chair. Padme gazed at herself, then blew a kiss to her reflection.

"You silly girl!" Rey teased, as she stroked Padme's hair.

"Don't be sad, Mommy. Everyone liked your singing."

"They did, didn't they?"

"Uh huh. Mr. Kylo turned around first, then Mr. Blake, then Ms. Gwen and Mr. John."

"If I wasn't disqualified, who should I have picked to be my coach?"

"Mr. Kylo."

"Why?" Rey wondered if Padme saw the resemblance between herself and Ben.

"Because he hit his button first, Mommy."

Rey chuckled in amusement. She enjoyed the time she spent with her daughter. Although life had not been easy, she knew she had made the right decision to leave her abusive step-father Unkar after she found her she was pregnant.

She wanted to tell Ben, but Unkar found out first, and was furious. He threatened to kill Ben if Rey did not go and have an abortion. Knowing that he was serious, she asked for a thousand dollars, since Unkar did not have the medical insurance to cover the procedure. Once he gave her the money, instead of going to the doctor, she bought herself a one way ticket out of town.

Rey waited a week to contact Ben. But he was not responding to her calls. Fearing the worst, she reached out to his parents. Thankfully, Ben was alive, but his parents told her he left town and never wanted to speak to her again. Rey was devastated, but she had to press on. She had a life growing inside of her. Even if Ben never wanted her, at least she knew he had given her one last gift in Padme.

"Give me the strength to tell Ben the truth," Rey thought to herself. "Please don't let my little girl be hurt by his reaction."

Taping for the day ended. Kylo bolted from his seat. Blake let out a hearty laugh.

"What's so funny?" Gwen quizzed him.

"He's making sure he doesn't let her go this time."

"You need to let go of that joke, Blakie."

He smirked before turning to face John.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you, guys," John replied, before leaving.

Ben took a deep breath before entering his dressing room. Rey was sitting by the mirror. She glanced in his direction, and placed a finger to her lips, indicating to keep quiet. His eyebrow raised before realizing why. Her daughter was asleep on the couch.

"Too long of a day for her?" he whispered, as he approached his former love.

"She was up very early. She was excited to see me audition," Rey replied.

"She's a cutie. What is her name?"

"Padme."

A moment of silence passed between them before Ben finally said,

"You named her after my grandmother."

"I did. You... you said if you ever had a daughter, you wanted to name her Padme," Rey stuttered nervously, her eyes focused on Ben.

He turned his back on her and grumbled,

"Yes. But you took that opportunity away from me!"

"Ben, what are you talking about?" Rey uttered in confusion.

"How could you, Rey?" Ben snapped, turning around to face her. "I would have helped you with the baby. You didn't have to abort our child!"

Rey's face went pale, and she explained,

"Ben, I didn't! Padme, she is your daughter!"

Ben's mouth dropped open in shock! Was it true? Was the little girl sleeping on the couch his daughter?

"Unkar found out I was pregnant. He threatened to kill you if I didn't have the abortion. So I asked him for the money. But instead of having it, I bought a one way ticket out of town. I tried to call you, but..."

"I changed my cell number, my social media accounts... I told my parents if you called I wanted nothing to do with you."

"I sent them letters every year addressed to you for Padme's birthday. I thought they would have given them to you."

"They didn't. Knowing them, they didn't even open them."

Ben saw Rey's facial expression. He knew when she was telling the truth and when she was lying.

"I am sorry, Rey. I would have been there..."

"I know, Ben. I should have told you that I was running away. But I was afraid! You know how abusive Unkar was."

" I remember. So Padme Plutt is my little girl."

"Not Padme Plutt. I would never give her that monster's last name. Her name is Padme Marie Solo."

Ben allowed the tears that formed in his eyes to fall. It was true. He was a father. Rey stood from the chair and took hold of his hand.

"Ben, please forgive me," she softly pleaded.

"You didn't do it," Ben muttered. "I'm sorry, Rey!"

The two embraced silently. There was so much Ben wanted to say to Rey. But it was not the time or place for such conversations. So after a few minutes, he broke the embrace and quipped,

"Of course, you would audition to one of my favorite songs."

"I only dreamt that you would be watching the show. But you weren't suppose to be a judge," Rey remarked.

"Coach Kelly had to drop out at the last minute, due to a family emergency."

"My gosh! Is everything okay with her and her family?"

"It will be, but right now, I am more concerned about my family."

Ben walked away from Rey and over to the couch, where Padme was still asleep. He softly smiled and asked,

"Does she know I'm her father?"

"I told her that her father is Ben Solo. She does not know you are also Kylo Ren. I didn't want her to blab it to the wrong people," Rey admitted.

"She needs to know, Rey."

"I know. We need to tell her, together. Is there someplace where we can go, away from prying eyes?"

"Yes. Let's go back to my place. We will tell her, and then I will drive the both of you back to the hotel."

"I guess I better wake her up."

"Don't. Let her sleep."

To Rey's amazement, Ben gently picked up Padme. He winked at Rey and said,

"Follow me."

As they walked, Rey asked Ben if Padme was heavy to carry.

"Not at all. She fits perfectly in my arms. Just like.." he began to say before stopping. Rey blushed, knowing that Ben was going to say that she also fit perfectly in his arms.

Ben drove them back to his home. Now carrying Padme, Rey's eyes widened when they pulled up to the biggest house she had ever seen.

"You live here?" she gasped, as Ben opened the door.

"I do," he replied, as they walked inside. Rey marveled as they entered the living room.

"Lay Padme down on the couch," Ben told her. "I will give you a tour of the place."

Rey laid Padme down, and followed Ben as he showed off his home.

"This is a big place for just one person..." she began to say, before they both hearing crying coming from downstairs. She rushed back to the living room to see a hysterical Padme.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," Rey lovingly cooed, as she sat down and embraced her daughter.

"I woke up and didn't see you, Mommy. I was scared!" Padme blurted out through her tears.

"Ssh. It's all right. Mommy is here".

Ben grinned at the sight of Rey cradling Padme. After a couple of minutes, the little girl calmed down.

"Where are we?" Padme asked. Her hazel eyes widened when her mother responded,

"We are at Mr. Kylo's place."


	3. Chapter 3

"Why are we at Mr. Kylo's place?" Padme asked, as Ben drew near to them.

"Because I invited you and your mom," he explained. "May I sit with you?"

He wondered why she didn't respond back to him.

"Padme, don't be rude," Rey reprimanded her daughter.

"If this is Mr. Kylo's place, shouldn't I ask if I can sit on the couch?" Padme stated matter-of-factly. Rey had to bite her lip to prevent a laugh from coming out.

"You have permission to sit on the couch," Ben told his daughter. "Now may I sit with you?"

Padme nodded her head. Ben sat down, so that she was sitting in between her parents. She looked up at him and smiled. She had Rey's smile. He noticed Rey's facial expression.

"Don't worry. You don't have to do this alone anymore," he vowed to her. Padme turned to face her mom.

"Padme, there is something very important you need to know," Rey began nervously.

"What is it, Mommy?"

"Um..."

"Do you like to hear bedtime stories?" Ben offered.

Padme quickly nodded her head, then frowned.

"Do I have to go to bed after the story?" she pouted.

"No," Rey assured her. She grinned as she snuggled close to her mom. Rey took a deep breath before saying,

"Once upon a time, there was a princess called Rey. The princess lived with a wicked step-father. One day, the princess met a prince, and fell madly in love with him. But the wicked step-father found out, and threatened both the prince and the princess."

"What happened?" Padme gasped, her eyes widened.

"The princess loved the prince and knew he would be hurt by the wicked step-father. So the princess had no choice but to run away from the wicked step-father and the prince. The princess was very sad, until..."

"She found out she was going to have her own princess," Padme finished her statement.

"Yes. Time past, and the princess gave birth to her own princess, who she named..."

"Padme!" the little girl shouted happily.

"You've told this story a lot, haven't you?" Ben teased.

"Almost every night since she started talking," Rey admitted. She focused her attention back on her daughter.

"Sweetheart, what is the question you always ask me?" she asked Padme.

"Can I have more candy?" Padme blurted out. Rey chuckled in amusement.

"Not that question. The question you always ask after I tell you the bedtime story."

"Oh! I ask who is the prince." Padme had a hunch that the prince in the story was her father, Ben Solo.

"Turn to face Mr. Kylo," Rey instructed her, her eyes getting misty. Padme obeyed, gazing up at Mr. Kylo.

"Padme, Mr. Kylo, or Ben Solo as I know him, is the prince," Rey finally confessed.

Padme's eyes bulged. Mr. Kylo was Ben Solo? She scratched her head in confusion.

"But Mommy, you said Ben Solo is my daddy," she uttered, still staring at Ben.

"He is, sweetheart."

"Kylo Ren is my stage name. But my real name is Ben Solo," Ben explained to Padme.

It took a minute for Padme to realize what her parents were trying to tell her.

"You're my daddy?" she asked, afraid to believe it was true.

"Yes, I'm your daddy," Ben confirmed, as a love he never experienced before came over him.

Padme moved closer to Ben. She stood on the couch. Before Rey could scold her, the little girl said,

"Please don't be sad, Daddy. Mommy takes great care of me."

"She sure does!" Ben's tears fell as Padme wrapped her arms around his neck. He embraced her tightly. He glanced over at Rey, who had tears of her own streaking down her face.

After a while, Padme broke from her father's embrace and exclaimed,

"And the prince and princess lived happily ever after!"

Her parents could not help laugh at their daughter's comment. Padme did not understand why they were laughing, but it was okay. She now had a mommy and daddy that loved her.

"I'm hungry!" she whined, as she sat down.

"Do you have something that I can prepare for her?" Rey asked.

"No. I'm not much of a cook," Ben confessed. "How about we order in pizza?"

"Yay, pizza!" Padme shouted, throwing both arms up in the air.

"Okay. But you are not having pizza every day," Rey told her. Ben was amused to see the pout on Padme's face.

An hour later, the three of them were at the dining table, eating pizza.

"Another slice, please!" Padme yelled, after she finished the first slice her father gave her.

"No more slices after this one," Rey reminded her. She faced Ben and quipped,

"She inherited your appetite."

"I see," he replied, giving her a wink. He noticed the serious look on her face.

"What is it, Rey?

"There's so much that needs to be discussed, about our daughter," Rey managed to say. She was shocked when Ben reached over and held her hand.

"There is. But for now, let's enjoy this time together. I promise, I will not let you go." He glanced over at Padme and reiterated,

"Either one of you."

Padme giggled. Rey asked her what was funny.

"My dream came true," she confessed.

"I thought your dream was for me to win the show," Rey offered.

"That was my little dream, Mommy. My big dream was to have a mommy and a daddy that loves me."

It took all of Rey's strength to not break down in tears, especially after Ben said,

"It was my dream to have a daughter that loves me."

"What about your dream, Mommy?" Padme questioned Rey.

"Mommy doesn't have a dream," Rey responded.

"Everyone has a dream," Ben interjected. Rey gave him a look to be quiet.

"Oh, it's a secret dream," Padme guessed. "I hope it comes true."

"I hope so, too," Rey sighed.

"I hope that I am a part of her dream," Ben thought to himself. "After all, she has always been a part of mine."

Padme noticed the way her parents looked at each other. She had a feeling that they were going to get married someday, maybe even have another prince or princess for her to play with. The family ate the rest of dinner in silence. While her parents worried about the future, Padme enjoyed her pizza and seeing her family together.


End file.
